An evening with the Stray Birds in Geneva

The Smith Club Series presents “An Evening with The Stray Birds”. The Stray Birds, a captivating young folk trio, will be performing on Friday, April 11 at 7:30pm at Billsboro Winery, 4760 State Route 14 South, Geneva. Club Series events are generously underwritten by the Geneva Community Fund.The incredibly rich and resonant sound of The Stray Birds is forged through gorgeous three-part harmonies crafted by band members Maya de Vitry, Oliver Craven, and Charles Muench. The trio strikes a delicate balance between the folk and bluegrass traditions that surrounded them in their hometown in rural Pennsylvania and the musical training each received as they traveled far afield in their collegiate and post-graduate careers. Fate and circumstance brought them together in the winter of 2010, when the three snowbound songsters swapped melodies and harmonized to create their signature sound in their first collaborative release, the Borderlands EP. De Vitry’s sumptuous tones are anchored in the richness and depth of her bandmates’, and the entirety is mapped over intricate, yet subtle, acoustic arrangements. Yet for all the technical virtuosity evinced by this talented group of young musicians, there is an indelible sense of soul and a heart-wrenching clarity in their ensembles that shines forth from beneath the stage lamps. As music critic Kim Fuehl raves, “The Stray Birds manage to create sounds that are no less than transcendent. They seem to float on a plain of grooves all their own, similar to how Gillian Welch and David Rawlings just turn on and go.”Since their debut album was credited as one of the Top Ten Folk/Americana albums of 2012 and the group itself commended as some of the Best New Folk Artists of 2013 by NPR, The Stray Birds have maintained an ambitious touring schedule. “Music exists in a time and place, not just in a digital format,” says Muench, encapsulating the band’s veneration of the performative experience. Reveling in the energy of each room, a connection to the audience is integral to each and every show The Stray Birds perform. Their performance on the 11th will take place shortly after their return from a tour in Ireland and the United Kingdom, so come out to Billsboro to catch a glimpse of these impressive up-and-comers and welcome them back to the home of American roots! To see a video of the band’s live performance of their song “Railroad Man” visit https://vimeo.com/46356174.Doors will open at 7pm. Pre-sale tickets are $15 per person and $18 at the door. Tickets may be purchased by visiting the Smith Opera House box office, located at 82 Seneca Street, Geneva, calling 315-781-5483 or through the website thesmith.org. The box office hours are Monday through Friday 10am to 5pm. The Smith Center for the Arts, a 501 c (3) non- profit arts organization, is both a presenting organization and a catalyst for enhancing the role of the arts in the Finger Lakes. The organization owns and operates the historic Smith Opera House and coordinates numerous other arts advocacy projects.